Construction Defects If you own a new home but feel your home may contain construction defects, we can help. Have…Read More

1

Florida Truck Accident Attorney

Our roadways witness more than 500,000 trucking accidents each year. While large trucks account for only 3% of the vehicles on the roadway, they also cause 12% of roadway fatalities. Semi-tractors and trailers can weigh in excess of 80,000 pounds and be more than 75 feet long. Truck accidents are tragic and the injuries are severe. The brake time for an 18 wheeler is much longer than that of a passenger car. It is easy to see how an accident between an automobile and a truck could be fatal. Truck accidents are the most dangerous collisions on the highway. In fact, in passenger car-truck collisions, 98% of the fatalities are persons in the passenger vehicles.

Federal interstate trucking regulations and state intrastate trucking regulations govern the truckers on our roadways. The laws provide rules regarding truck maintenance, how loads are secured, and the routes trucks are allowed to drive, and how truckers are allowed to drive. While the regulations are designed to reduce the number passenger car-truck collisions, many of these trucks are in violation of federal safety standards. A 2009 study conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) revealed that almost every single commercial trucking company in the United States was in violation of at least one regulation. These violations include:

unqualified drivers

lack of training

failure to maintain and service the trucks

overloading trailers

inadequate or incomplete log books

pay incentives encouraging speeding and long hours

Pursuant to the Hours of Service (HOS) policy, a truck driver may work not more than 14 total hours in a 24 hour period. In addition, the driver must then have 10 hours of rest before driving again. The truck driver’s driving and sleep habits must be recorded in driver’s log book. In addition, routine maintenance must be completed and recorded. Not surprisingly, truck drivers often drive too many hours without the proper amount of sleep in order to meet deadlines. To protect themselves, some truck drivers falsify travel logs and fail to properly maintain their trucks and trailers.

After an accident, it is crucial to gather the information needed to reconstruct the accident. A thorough investigation is needed to obtain photographs, interviews, road measurements, speed calculations, and driver logs. Fatigue and inattention are the main causes of trucking accidents. We can use the driver logs and the GPS system to determine if the driver slept the number of hours required under federal law. We can secure the semi-truck and trailer and obtain the truck’s blackbox. The blackbox will provide crucial information, such as the speed the driver was traveling at the time of the accident as well as other times throughout his trip.

We handle cases involving the following types of trucks: commercial truck, 18 wheel, pick-up truck accidents, small truck accidents, semi-truck accidents, tractor trailer accidents, delivery truck accidents, and RV accidents. There are varying types of collisions as well. We handle side collisions, head on collisions, and rear end accidents.

This is Attorney Advertising. This web site is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Past results afford no guarantee of future results. Every case is different and must be judged on its own merits. Co-counsel may be used or referral made.